Portland's Biggest, Multi-Genre Arts Festival Kicks Off This Week

Here are our picks for what to do at the TBA Festival, Sept. 8-13.

In Portland, there is a time and place(s) for time-based art. The biggest annual arts festival all year starts this Thursday, taking over venues across the city with live dance and theater, experiemental music, immersive visual arts, and, perhaps best of all, late-night parties with a great bar and lots of pfascinating people to watch. Here are our picks for the top events of TBA:2016. The time is now.

The Art of Luv (Part 1): Elliot by Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble

Remember that psychopathic dude who couldn't get laid, so he shot a bunch of people on the UCSB campus back in 2014? New York-based multimedia artists Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble unpack this for you by responding to this "wound to the body of Love" with an experimental ritual performance that is, at times, surprisingly hilarious. But rest assured, the darkness sets in. Reed College Black Box Theatre, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd. 7 pm Saturday-Tuesday, Sept. 10-13. $25.

Blind Cinema

We don't give kids enough credit. During a film screening at the Hollywood Theatre, adult attendees are blindfolded with rows of schoolchildren standing behind them, narrating the film. But this event is deeper than you think: it's barely imposing on children—instead, it's exploiting the limitations of human language. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd. 3 pm Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 10-11, 7 pm Friday, Sept. 16, 3 pm Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 17-18. $20-40.

Critical Mascara: A Post-Realness Drag Extravaganza

The no. 1 queer event of the social calendar is back, uniting MC Pepper Pepper with some of Portland's liveliest (and best-dressed) partygoers. The self-proclaimed "A Post-Realness Drag Extravaganza" is first-and-foremost a drag show, but with dope music and dance, it's also a safe space that embraces both identity and absurdity. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. 10:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 10. $10.

d'aprés une histoire vraie

Booking French artist Christian Rizzo and his all-male ten-member touring performers was no walk in the park. Imagine all the visas. However, this physical, visceral final product was inspired by Christian's time in Istanbul, where he researched masculinity in traditional dance. Here, you'll see a sensuality that is surprisingly traditional. PSU's Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., Room 75. 6:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Sept. 9-10. $25.

Distance is Not Separation: Section 1. Selective Seeing: Corners, You, Section 2: Painted Images, Colored Symbols: She's Hard, She Q

This timely performance, almost a series of cultural flashbacks, touches upon the black femme body and its characterization through sports, societal roles (such as occupations), and even language. Keijaun Thomas utilizes live performances and multimedia installations to explore how black identity ties in with black personhood. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. 8:30 pm Sunday-Tuesday, Sept. 11-13. Free.

Don't Get Me Started

Still think most people wouldn't spout half of their opinions IRL if they weren't hiding behind a keyboard? "Don't Get Me Started" brings trolls to life by rallying a group of local artists, activists, comedians and everyday citizens who will utilize the stage to discuss all the pressing local issues in as uncensored a fashion as pos sible. Expect some New Portland vs. Old Portland banter. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. 10:30 pm Monday, Sept. 12. $10.

Narcissistic Advance

Narcissister is so much more than a pretty mask. The Brooklyn-based artist and performer supplies her audiences with a public intervention by highlighting the patriarchal portrayal of the female body through mixed media, live performances, and even pornography. Make sure to see her delve into her art as part of TBA's Field Guide sessions. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St., 8:30 pm Friday-Saturday, Sept. 9-10. $20.

New Faithful Disco

What does it mean to be a queer woman? Thanks to L.A.-based choreographer Meg Wolfe, a "power-trio" of queer dancers is going to explore this topic through an original interpretative dance piece. Highlights: there will be lots of disco music, as much of the soundtrack is sampled from the '70s. Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 6:30 pm Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 10-11. $25.

Portland Museum of Modern Art: Houseguest

Finally, it happened: a pop-up art museum. Libby Werbel is an artist who wanted to create her own contemporary art museum – and for two days, you can witness its visual art installations and performances in the heart of PDX. This tiny, underground gallery is spontaneous but pertinent. (Currently, Portland doesn't have an established major contemporary art museum of its own.) Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave. 11 am-7 pm Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 10-11. Performances begin at 1 pm. Free.

Portland Museum of Modern Art At The Works

Everything and anything goes during this intimate first-time collaboration between PICA and the Portland Art Museum. Mingle with reggae, house music, spirituals and Afrofuturist themes. Dynasty Handbag will add some absurdist humor and Strange Babes will DJ, so that your feet might levitate off the floor. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. 10:30 pm Friday, Sept. 9. $10.

A Smeary Spot

This science fiction-inspired video installation showcases our relationship with the sun as an "organizing principle of time, place, and ego." Expect the juxtaposition of dreamy film from the deserts of Southern Utah with black box theater performers citing existential texts. Like the sun itself, the performers will express transition through stylized dance. Now there's a metaphor. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. Installation: Noon-5:30 pm, Sept. 9-18. Noon-6 pm Thursday-Friday, noon-4 pm Saturday-Sunday Sept. 22-Oct. 20. Reception: 8 pm Thursday, Sept. 8. Free.

Still Life

This ensemble dance cycle at the Portland Art Museum celebrates loss, physically and figuratively. The very choreography of this dance troupe will symbolize death, as with each new cycle, an element of the last will disappear. Here, dance is a "living and dying thing," and as an audience member, you can also come and go. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave. 3-8 pm Friday, Sept. 9, noon-5 pm Saturday-Wednesday, Sept. 10-14. Included with museum admission.

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